When a fire in a New Gloucester mobile home was reported in the middle of the night, it took three towns to muster enough firefighters to fight the blaze. Poland Fire Chief Tom Printup, the first to arrive on scene because he lives nearby, said 12 firefighters responded to the fire on Quarry Road just after 2 a.
- PUB DATE: 6/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Press Herald

VIDEO: A humid day in Mattapan did not slow the pace of an intense basketball game between teachers from Mattahunt Elementary School and a team from the Boston Fire Department. Kimberly Hogan, part of the teacher’s team, said her student spectators were thrilled to watch. "The kids are all amped,” Hogan said.
- PUB DATE: 6/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston

An artist who has painted scenes around the world will unveil a new mural design for Philadelphia on July 3 to honor an organization that has protected the city for hundreds of years — the city Fire Department. A 500-square-foot mural depicting the history of the Philadelphia Fire Department will be painted on 4th and Arch streets, next to the Ladder 2 Fire Station and around the corner from the Fireman’s Hall Museum.
- PUB DATE: 6/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCAU-TV NBC 10 Philadelphia

VIDEO: In an effort to reduce a strain on San Diego’s 911 response system, the city’s mayor announced the resurrection of a decade-old program to help its top abusers -- some who call hundreds of times a year. “Every day, San Diego’s emergency 911 response system receives thousands of calls day and night for help from residents and visitors alike.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego

New Jersey paramedics may now offer another medication to overdosed patients revived with naloxone, but some are taking a wait-and-see approach. N.J. Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal authorized the state's 1,900 paramedics to carry buprenorphine, an oral medication used to treat the acute symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Courier-Post - Metered Site

The path to becoming fire chief is often challenging and unpredictable. With that in mind, how can you best prepare to become a five-bugle chief? Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Chief Trisha Wolford and Prince William County (Virginia) Chief (Retired) Mary Beth Michos share their experiences and address key elements of preparation, including formal education/training; political and policy development skills and experience; public speaking and communication; work history and reputation; teachable potential, succession planning and job shadowing participation.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

VIDEO: Public safety departments across the country are ditching dated restrictive grooming and appearance standards. It's an effort to modernize policing with hopes of boosting morale and bolstering recruitment and retention efforts. As of June, the City of Montgomery is part of the national trend, allowing officers and firefighters to grow facial hair and show tattoos while in uniform.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSFA-TV NBC 12 Montgomery

It’s a scene of utter devastation. Smashed automobiles, derailed train cars and piles of rubble are scattered across an apocalyptic landscape. Hard-hatted responders cling to nylon ropes alongside a gutted high-rise. In the distance, an industrial fire sends flames and smoke into an otherwise bright blue sky.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Governing.com

Outside of Frederick Memorial Hospital emergency vehicles drove by as a processional to pay homage to the late Michael Powers Tuesday evening. “It is my sad duty with a heavy heart I report the line-of-duty death of firefighter Michael Powers, of Libertytown Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company,” said Tom Owens, Fire Chief for Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue and Service.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDVM-TV 25 Hagerstown

Under legislation pending in Albany, city firefighters would be granted a five-year post-retirement period in which they could revise their retirement option if they developed cancer that may be linked to carcinogens they were exposed to on the job. Epidemiological studies have established the firefighting-cancer link for several years.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Chief-Leader - Metered Site

Several firefighters at the Round Rock Central Fire Station are demanding answers from the city after they made a shocking discovery this year. The president of the Round Rock Association of Professional Firefighters says the majority of the firefighters at Station 1 have been having health issues related to mold exposure.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTBC-TV Fox 7 Austin

VIDEO: When you picture a poet, a firefighter might not be the first person you think of. Even if you did, Gary Wedemeyer probably wouldn't be the first firefighter coming to mind. "If you put me in a lineup with a bunch of firefighters and said pick the one who's writing poetry, I'd probably be the last one they'd pick," Wedemeyer said with a smile.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFSN-TV ABC 30 Frenso/Visalia

The Boise Fire Department is celebrating a new milestone as it welcomes the first female fire captain. Ashley Rosenbaum is a 12-year-member of the Boise Fire Department. Rosenbaum will be field promoted at Station 17 on June 26 at 11:30 a.m. She began her career with Boise fire in 2007, was promoted to Firefighter 1 in 2008, Firefighter 2 in 2009 and Firefighter 3 in 2011.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIVI-TV ABC 6 Boise

PHOTOS: Bob Halberstadt turns 79 on the Fourth of July. He’ll be nearly two weeks past graduation by that point. And Blairstown Hose Company No. 1 Chief Calvin Inscho figures Halberstadt will have changed his mind by then. Not about becoming a volunteer firefighter. He achieved that on Saturday when he received his New Jersey state Firefighter 1 certification from the Warren County Fire Academy and he has no plans to step away from his newest challenge.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: LehighValleyLive.com

In 11 large metropolitan areas, critical communications for police, firefighters, and others take place in the T-Band part of the radio spectrum. For example, the NYPD dispatches 911 calls via the T-Band. Starting in 2021, public safety T-Band will be auctioned as required by law. Public safety organizations must move their communications to another part of the spectrum within 2 years of the auction's end.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: GAO.gov

If you think there have been a lot more homeless encampment fires of late, you would be right. But, homeless encampment fires are somewhat a numbers game, but the numbers are hard to find. The fire that burned a Pittsburg roofing business's inventory and storage lot full of plastic piping, was caused by a fire that started in a homeless encampment just outside of the businesses perimeters.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVU-TV FOX 2

Arizona’s largest electric company installed massive batteries near neighborhoods with a large number of solar panels, hoping to capture some of the energy from the afternoon sun to use after dark. Arizona Public Service has been an early adopter of battery storage technology seen as critical for the wider deployment of renewable energy and for a more resilient power grid.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVK-TV 3 (azfamily.com)

Climate change in the Western U.S. means more intense and frequent wildfires churning out waves of smoke that scientists say will sweep across the continent to affect tens of millions of people and cause a spike in premature deaths. That emerging reality is prompting people in cities and rural areas alike to gird themselves for another summer of sooty skies along the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountains — the regions widely expected to suffer most from blazes tied to dryer, warmer conditions.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13

Kennewick police had to help firefighters get to a brushfire near the Burlington Store Saturday after onlookers kept getting in the way. First responders tell Action News they're seeing too much of this and they need your help. Officers say they understand the interest, it's human nature to watch events as they unfold but it's starting to impede their ability to do their job.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KEPR-TV CBS 19 Pasco

The Navy SEAL rejected to become a city firefighter for being too old can now be hired by the FDNY, thanks to action taken by state lawmakers Thursday. Special Operations Chief Shaun Donovan missed city employee age stipulations by six months and 25 days to join the FDNY in April. The Post first reported on his plight, sparking outrage and support for his bid to become a firefighter.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post